1. River Bluff High School student interview videos: (Parental permission/consent)
Video #1:
Video #2:
A few things I learned from this interview:
--Students learn the iPad navigation very swiftly (note how the student swipes and scrolls as if it is second nature to her)
--Schoology and PowerSchool are familiar apps, and common apps that are used on a daily basis
--This particular student has been utilizing the iPad in her studies for over two full academic years (her school-issued iPad was effective at the start of the 2012-13 school years, when she was in Grade 7; she is currently in Grade 9)
2. Interview notes #1 (Joseph Cussen) (J. Cussen, personal communication, December 10, 2014) *note: these notes are rough and not meant to be judged on content of clarity or grammatical accuracy
A few things I learned from this interview:
--iPads can improve instruction, but only if the teacher is able to monitor use of the iPad at all times.
--Teacher training of the iPad is an ongoing process, and does not require above average intelligence or a Master's degree; however, if teachers are not properly trained to support classroom management with introduction of the iPad, it detracts from student engagement.
--iPads are used in his classroom for research and as instructional tools
--Students have responded to the iPad well in that they enjoy being more organized and carrying around less books and paper
--The drawbacks of using the iPad are that the students are also more prone to being distracted from school work, such as playing games on the device
--Funding for the iPad was not an issue because Joseph works at a very wealthy, private, all-male academy
--Ironically, the same year that the school went 1:1, the school board voted to cut many of the health benefits of the teachers (although many teachers expressed their dissatisfaction, the administration continues to support their actions and continue to claim that the two events are in no way, shape, or form connected)
3. Interview notes #2 (Kelsey Little) (K. Little, personal communication, December 9, 2014)
*note: these notes are rough and not meant to be judged on content of clarity or grammatical accuracy
A few things I learned from this interview:
--A correlation exists between a teacher's ability to use the iPad and the overall effectiveness of the iPad
--iPad training truly depends on the individual teacher; however, even though it is a stereotypical thought, often younger teachers appear to master the iPad and have greater willingness to use it than older teachers
--Kelsey uses the iPad in her classroom at least three times a week, and as often as possible
--Most students enjoy the iPad; however, there are a handful of students who still seem hesitant and/or fearful to adapt to all the functions the iPad has to offer
--There are so many apps available that can be used across all disciplines; furthermore, there are multiple functions that allow for Kelsey to use the iPad as a modification tool for her students who have reading and/or writing disabilities
--There are not many drawbacks of the iPad at the current time; Kelsey suggests that perhaps one of them could be that students lose out on a chance to practice true penmanship
--Funding for iPads depends on the district; also, technology quickly goes out of date, so that may present a problem in the future for schools who consider a four-year-old iPad "outdated"
4. Interview notes #3 (Shay Sullivan)
*note: these notes are rough and not meant to be judged on content of clarity or grammatical accuracy
A few things I learned from this interview: --iPads are effective and efficient tools to use in the 21st-century classroom --Training required totally depends upon the individual teacher; at Shay's school, about half his staff displayed more comfortability with the iPad than the other half, so professional development was necessary in these cases --The iPad is used every day; every morning, Shay begins with a "warm up" where the students visit the online version of The Washington Post --Students naturally excel with iPad use; often times, they appear more at ease with the iPad than they do opening up a book (in the traditional format) to read --Drawbacks of the iPad can include distractions involving the camera, and any word processing application which allows the students to leave each other cross-classroom messages (Shay's class uses iPads on a cart, so when one class is finished, they place them on the cart and the next class pulls them off to use them) --Having the iPad as a resource has the potential to save thousands of dollars which would otherwise be invested in costly textbooks; also, the iPad offers access to an ever-updating Internet resource (for example, when textbooks become outdated, they are no longer useful; whereas if the textbooks were available online, the need for purchasing newer editions would be a thing of the past)
5. Ron Bosch's videos (relevant videos only, as some of the videos on his YouTube page are not current enough to be utilized for the purposes of this project):
#1: Getting Started With the Blended Learning Courselet. River Bluff High School adopted Schoology in place of Edmodo at the start of the 2014-2015 school years. This is Ron's tutorial presented in screen cast format.
7. Lexington School District 1's Web Page Addressing the Requirements for Teacher Technology Competency Assessment (TTCA)
8. Lexington School District 1's Web Page Addressing Student Rules & Regulations with the Personal Mobile Computing Initiative
A few things I learned (about Lexington 1's Mobile Computing Initiative & the TTCA):
--Lexington County School District 1 purchased the personal mobile computing devices out of the 2008 Bond Referendum, which included $15 million to expand and upgrade existing technology at all schools ("Questions About the Personal Mobile Computing Initiative", 2014)
--Additionally, there are rather strict requirements in place for all teachers to adhere to regarding technology training
--Most importantly, the school district has strict requirements in place to ensure all students are aware of requirements and regulations regarding the use of their school-issued iPad:
As documented on the Methods page, I struggled a little bit (ok, a lot) to collect data. My main roadblocks were: accidentally deleting Shay Sullivan's first audio interview, and settling for taking physical notes the second time around in the sake of time; having Ron Bosch cancel his follow-up interview, which I had hoped to record on my laptop, was also a let; and just my general lack of success in getting individuals to work with me. It's a hectic, busy time of year, and I respect and understand that. I just wish things had worked out differently for me. I had very high hopes for my success with this project, because the topic interests and excites me, and I feel as if I dropped the ball on more than one occasion, despite being given an extra week to work on gathering data.
Data & Results
1. River Bluff High School student interview videos:
(Parental permission/consent)
Video #1:
Video #2:
A few things I learned from this interview:
--Students learn the iPad navigation very swiftly (note how the student swipes and scrolls as if it is second nature to her)
--Schoology and PowerSchool are familiar apps, and common apps that are used on a daily basis
--This particular student has been utilizing the iPad in her studies for over two full academic years (her school-issued iPad was effective at the start of the 2012-13 school years, when she was in Grade 7; she is currently in Grade 9)
2. Interview notes #1 (Joseph Cussen) (J. Cussen, personal communication, December 10, 2014)
*note: these notes are rough and not meant to be judged on content of clarity or grammatical accuracy
A few things I learned from this interview:
--iPads can improve instruction, but only if the teacher is able to monitor use of the iPad at all times.
--Teacher training of the iPad is an ongoing process, and does not require above average intelligence or a Master's degree; however, if teachers are not properly trained to support classroom management with introduction of the iPad, it detracts from student engagement.
--iPads are used in his classroom for research and as instructional tools
--Students have responded to the iPad well in that they enjoy being more organized and carrying around less books and paper
--The drawbacks of using the iPad are that the students are also more prone to being distracted from school work, such as playing games on the device
--Funding for the iPad was not an issue because Joseph works at a very wealthy, private, all-male academy
--Ironically, the same year that the school went 1:1, the school board voted to cut many of the health benefits of the teachers (although many teachers expressed their dissatisfaction, the administration continues to support their actions and continue to claim that the two events are in no way, shape, or form connected)
3. Interview notes #2 (Kelsey Little) (K. Little, personal communication, December 9, 2014)
*note: these notes are rough and not meant to be judged on content of clarity or grammatical accuracy
A few things I learned from this interview:
--A correlation exists between a teacher's ability to use the iPad and the overall effectiveness of the iPad
--iPad training truly depends on the individual teacher; however, even though it is a stereotypical thought, often younger teachers appear to master the iPad and have greater willingness to use it than older teachers
--Kelsey uses the iPad in her classroom at least three times a week, and as often as possible
--Most students enjoy the iPad; however, there are a handful of students who still seem hesitant and/or fearful to adapt to all the functions the iPad has to offer
--There are so many apps available that can be used across all disciplines; furthermore, there are multiple functions that allow for Kelsey to use the iPad as a modification tool for her students who have reading and/or writing disabilities
--There are not many drawbacks of the iPad at the current time; Kelsey suggests that perhaps one of them could be that students lose out on a chance to practice true penmanship
--Funding for iPads depends on the district; also, technology quickly goes out of date, so that may present a problem in the future for schools who consider a four-year-old iPad "outdated"
4. Interview notes #3 (Shay Sullivan)
*note: these notes are rough and not meant to be judged on content of clarity or grammatical accuracy
A few things I learned from this interview:
--iPads are effective and efficient tools to use in the 21st-century classroom
--Training required totally depends upon the individual teacher; at Shay's school, about half his staff displayed more comfortability with the iPad than the other half, so professional development was necessary in these cases
--The iPad is used every day; every morning, Shay begins with a "warm up" where the students visit the online version of The Washington Post
--Students naturally excel with iPad use; often times, they appear more at ease with the iPad than they do opening up a book (in the traditional format) to read
--Drawbacks of the iPad can include distractions involving the camera, and any word processing application which allows the students to leave each other cross-classroom messages (Shay's class uses iPads on a cart, so when one class is finished, they place them on the cart and the next class pulls them off to use them)
--Having the iPad as a resource has the potential to save thousands of dollars which would otherwise be invested in costly textbooks; also, the iPad offers access to an ever-updating Internet resource (for example, when textbooks become outdated, they are no longer useful; whereas if the textbooks were available online, the need for purchasing newer editions would be a thing of the past)
5. Ron Bosch's videos (relevant videos only, as some of the videos on his YouTube page are not current enough to be utilized for the purposes of this project):
#1: Getting Started With the Blended Learning Courselet. River Bluff High School adopted Schoology in place of Edmodo at the start of the 2014-2015 school years. This is Ron's tutorial presented in screen cast format.
#2: Technology Competency Requirements video, 2013-2014 (overview)
#3: Technology Competency Requirements video, 2013-2014 (Part One)
#4: Technology Competency Requirements video, 2013-2014 (Part Two)
#5: Technology Competency Requirements video, 2013-2014 (Part Three)
6. Lexington School District 1's Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Their Personal Mobile Computing Initiative:
7. Lexington School District 1's Web Page Addressing the Requirements for Teacher Technology Competency Assessment (TTCA)
8. Lexington School District 1's Web Page Addressing Student Rules & Regulations with the Personal Mobile Computing Initiative
A few things I learned (about Lexington 1's Mobile Computing Initiative & the TTCA):
--Lexington County School District 1 purchased the personal mobile computing devices out of the 2008 Bond Referendum, which included $15 million to expand and upgrade existing technology at all schools ("Questions About the Personal Mobile Computing Initiative", 2014)
--Additionally, there are rather strict requirements in place for all teachers to adhere to regarding technology training
--Most importantly, the school district has strict requirements in place to ensure all students are aware of requirements and regulations regarding the use of their school-issued iPad:
My unfortunate series of events...
(source: http://giphy.com/gifs/peanuts-halloween-charlie-brown-great-pumpkin-fsnzYr1pgvAQM)
As documented on the Methods page, I struggled a little bit (ok, a lot) to collect data. My main roadblocks were: accidentally deleting Shay Sullivan's first audio interview, and settling for taking physical notes the second time around in the sake of time; having Ron Bosch cancel his follow-up interview, which I had hoped to record on my laptop, was also a let; and just my general lack of success in getting individuals to work with me. It's a hectic, busy time of year, and I respect and understand that. I just wish things had worked out differently for me. I had very high hopes for my success with this project, because the topic interests and excites me, and I feel as if I dropped the ball on more than one occasion, despite being given an extra week to work on gathering data.